The recipient of our 2021 McKenna's Rae Of Hope Foundation Mental Health Field Scholarship of $1,000 is Amelia Moore of Kearney, Nebraska. She is currently attending Kearney High School where she is first in class rank and has a GPA of 4.36. She will attend the University of Nebraska at Kearney in the fall with she will major in Social Work and Psychology. Congratulations to Amelia from all of us at McKenna's Rae of Hope Foundation. Thank you for being a Rae of Hope for those around you.
Here is what Amelia wrote in her application:
Explain what type of Mental Health field you are going into and why you want to go into that field.
At UNK I am going to study Social Work. However, I have taken a handful of dual credit courses in high school, so I am hoping to major in both Social Work and Psychology. I would absolutely love to major in both (and I plan on doing so), but I chose Social Work because of the broader spectrum it covers when it comes to helping people. I chose the Mental Health field because I have been through many turbulent and trying times in my life and I know every person on the planet has been through difficult times as well. Because of my history, I know I will be able to deeply connect with others from troubled pasts. From that deep and authentic connection, I will be able to help them reach their full potential through the pursuit of health and growth. I believe it is important to address that yes, I am going into Social Work because I have a background that involves trauma. However, I am not pursuing the Mental Health field in order to fix myself and heal past wounds, rather I am going to use my past and its experiences to better connect and understand those who society misunderstands and does not listen to. I will also note that because of what I have been through, I have grown tremendously as a person. Not only that, but I will continue to grow and improve for as long as I live because I will never be done.
Additional Comments
My long-term career goal is to open up my own private practice where I coach up-and-coming counselors on how to best reach those in need. I have a burning passion for teaching and leading people and I would love to teach and lead the next generation of influential counselors. The name of the game in counseling is specialization. Therefore, I would love to specialize in children and childhood trauma. I am passionate about that time in life because I believe once you create healthy children, then they grow into healthy adults, and then they have healthy families that bloom into healthy communities. I believe by connecting with young people I can help build a healthier world from the bottom up - and I plan on doing so.
After being notified of this scholarship, Ms. Moore responded with this note: " I am extremely humbled and honored to be selected for this award. To me, this is more than a financial gift, it is a gift for my dreams and for the people I hope to impact in the future! I am very blessed to live in a community with foundations that support the betterment of others! Thank you to the McKenna’s Rae of Hope Foundation for enabling me to better our world!"